Friday morning commute could be tricky in Metro Detroit as storm hits

The major winter storm now slamming the Central Plains is tracking this way but, fortunately, there will be a weakening trend as it crosses the Great Lakes.

After a dry night, snow will arrive around dawn. Those of you south and west of Detroit may see the snow arrive before 7 a.m.; snow should develop in the "heart" of the Metro Area between 7 and 8 a.m.; and those of you up in the Thumb may not see the snow develop until around 9 a.m.

Obviously, any slight change in timing will have dramatic impacts on your Friday morning rush hour so, the first thing you should do when get up in the morning is head over to our weather page here on ClickOnDetroit.com and check the radar maps (don't forget that you can zoom in to your county if you want).

The band of snow that moves through the area will be a quick hit of moderate to heavy snow ... it'll look pretty impressive for a while, so don't be surprised: I'm telling you right now to be ready for this.

The quick speed of this band of snow should limit accumulations to between two and three inches (perhaps a bit less up in the Thumb, as the system is weakening as it heads north). However, this amount of snow falling in only five hours will certainly grease up the roads, so I would plan right now on allowing for some extra time if you have time-sensitive plans requiring you to drive from Point A to Point B.

One other thing to keep in mind is the chance for some light freezing drizzle in the afternoon, which could make bare, untreated surfaces quite slick.

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